Cold feet?
by LittleMonkeyDog
Summary: Surprise, surprise. Face is finally settling down and about to tie the knot. Or isn't he? One shot.
**A-team fanfiction: Cold feet (one shot)**

Who would have ever thought this would happen? Certainly not the guys! He even surprised himself. But it sure felt good. For the first time, he felt loved for who he truly was. Het felt at ease, relaxed and didn't have to put on an act whenever he was with her. That's what he had been looking for and had been missing most of his life. Heck, he needed her to be a part of his life. That's when he had gotten down on one knee and had proposed to her. Even Zowie was surprised at that moment! She was madly in love with him and they were a great couple, but she never saw him as the marrying kind although she kept on hoping he might be one day. And it had happened indeed! Even sooner than she could possibly imagine. Whenever she was with him he made her feel safe and special and they had tons of fun together. It was obvious she could only accept his proposal and she was thrilled to finally become Mrs. Templeton Peck.

Her father didn't share her love for her boyfriend. Upon 'employing' the team at first, they both disliked one another in every way. Face was stubborn and loved to challenge the General in every possible way. Stockwell had known beforehand that the Lieutenant had a hard time listening to anyone in command with the exception of Hannibal off course. Upon finding out that his precious angel had fallen in love with said fugitive and convicted murderer he had been furious. He had tried to reason with his daughter and threatened Face to leave her alone, but it hadn't worked. On the contrary! And it had taken a lot of convincing from the both of them to show him just how serious they were and how much they loved one another. Even Hannibal had to intervene to convince Stockwell just how much Zowie meant to his Lieutenant. He had finally given in when he saw just how happy Zowie was while being with Face and how much he cared about her. They tried to get along for Zowie's sake, but Face had still been nervous when he had asked his daughter's hand in marriage. But Stockwell had been pleased with that and had given them his consent and his blessing.

Today was their wedding day! Zowie had been looking forward to this very day for months. She had loved to plan the wedding and everything surrounding her big day. Face had been dreaming out loud about a big, expensive wedding at the Beverly Bay Country Club where he was an official member by now. After finally receiving their full presidential pardon and with all the charges against them dropped, the team was no longer on the run. Their military ranks were restored and the government had compensated all the money they should have earned in the military over the years with a big bonus added to that amount. Due to what they had done for their fellow Americans while they were living as fugitives, they had all gotten similar jobs at the CIA and were still working closely together as a team. So Face had no problem to continue living his expensive lifestyle. A lifestyle he had gotten used too! But now he no longer needed to scam nice houses, expensive designer clothes and dinners at exclusive restaurants and he had the money to become a member of the prestigious country club he always imagined himself to be a part of. Zowie also earned lots of money being a top surgeon at a prestigious hospital in L.A. While talking about the location of their wedding, Zowie admitted that she had always wanted to get married on the beach. Face had always loved the beach, so it wasn't hard for him to go with Zowie's idea of having the wedding ceremony at the beach.

Zowie and Face shared a nice, large beach house, but traditionally Zowie spent the night before her wedding at her parent's house. The guys had decided to stay with Face as he had been a nervous wreck all week long. They had even taken him out for dinner and drinks to get him to calm down. And it had worked to some extent. Now, the guys met one another in the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning, Colonel. Facey sure choose a nice day to get married."

"Morning, Captain. Indeed, he sure did."

"I'm so excited! I can hardly wait for the ceremony to start."

"You ain't messin' up Face's weddin', crazy fool."

"Don't ya worry, big guy. Facey is my bestest buddy. I'm happy for him and for Zowie too."

"Yeah. Well, I must say I'm proud of him. Never thought he would pull this off. And you're right, Murdock. Zowie is a great girl."

"How come he ain't here yet?"

"Oh, B.A. You know Face. It takes him forever to get ready for the day and this isn't just any day. He is getting married today in his precious Country Club. You do know how he gets. He probably has to shower at least twice as long and it will take him forever to get his hair done. Not to mention how long it will take him to get dressed."

"He ain't got that much time no more. Them guest will start to get here soon."

"He sure has to be there before Zowie and the General get here."

"And he needs to eat. We can't have him fainting at the altar."

"Okay, I'll go get him."

Hannibal ran up the stairs to the master bedroom smiling to himself. He was still convinced that Face was getting ready and being as nervous as he was it would probably take him forever to manage just that. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer from his second-in-command, but got none. Hannibal walked into the room thinking Face was probably still showering and had lost track of time. At least he wasn't asleep anymore as his bed was empty. Hannibal looked around and noticed Face's tuxedo still hanging up neatly. So he wasn't dressed just yet. He listened intently, but didn't hear the shower run either. He walked up to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Face. You're in there? It's about time you got ready, kid. You don't want to miss out on your own wedding now, do ya?"

No answer.

"Face? Kid? Can you hear me? You're not getting cold feet now, are ya? Come on? Answer me, damn it."

Still no answer.

Hannibal checked the door and found it unlocked so he entered the bathroom as he was worried by now. He found his young Lieutenant unconscious on the floor wearing only his pajama pants. His blond hair was sweat soaked. Hannibal ran up to him and knelt beside him. He turned the young man around so he was lying on his back. He was looking a ghostly white and beads of sweat were apparent on his face and chest. Hannibal tried to get him to wake up. It didn't take long before Face's eyes fluttered open.

"Where am I? What's going on?" His voice sounded weak.

"You're in the bathroom, son. You've fainted and lost consciousness apparently. Do you remember what happened?"

"I woke up and as I wanted to get out of bed I felt kind of strange. My stomach was acting up. I thought it was just stress at first and I wanted to get to the bathroom just to be safe. As I got up, the whole room started to spin and I don't even recall how I made it to the bathroom at all. I guess I must have lost consciousness when I got there."

"How do you feel now? You're looking way too pale and you're sweaty too."

"I feel awful. My head is pounding and I feel like I've been run over by a truck."

"Lie down for a bit. Okay?"

Face nodded slightly and closed his eyes. It only took him about a second before his eyes shot open once again.

"What is it? Face?"

"S-s-sick."

Hannibal noticed how any and all color drained from his face.

"Do you need to throw up, son?"

Face nodded ever so slightly. Hannibal lifted his weak frame and carried him over to the toilet. Face hugged the toilet as his body started to convulse heavily. And it didn't seem to stop. He could only gasp for air in between real bad spasms of his upset stomach. Hannibal wiped his forehead and neck with a cool cloth to keep him somewhat comfortable. Buy now, both Murdock and B.A. were getting worried too. They had entered the bedroom looking for their friends when they heard Face. They all but ran to the bathroom and found their friend hanging heavily onto the toilet his weight supported partly by Hannibal while he kept on throwing up.

"How's he doin, Hannibal?"

"Not well. Not well at all. He's been throwing up non-stop for the past 15 minutes. It's like he can't stop throwing up all together. He's getting weaker too. Something's very wrong here."

"Oh, man. What we're gonna do now?"

"I don't know. Let's just hope it stops sooner or later."

"What are we going to do, Hannibal. The guest will be arriving any minute now."

"Can you take over for me here, Murdock. Stay with Face and support his weight as much as you can. He is very weak. Let him sip some water every now and then so he doesn't dehydrate and keep a close eye on him. I don't like this one bit. B.A. and I will guide the guests to the beach for the ceremony and get them seated and we'll try to intercept Stockwell.

"He ain't gonna be happy, dude. What do we tell him?"

"Exactly what's happening. Maybe Zowie will know what's going on with him."

While Murdock tried to support his best friend who kept on throwing up non-stop and cried out in pain, Hannibal and B.A. took care of the guests. They didn't suspect a thing. Hannibal and B.A were trying to be the perfect hosts. The wedding ceremony would take place on the beach and the couple would be married facing the ocean. The catering crew had also arrived and they would offer the guests a drink on the patio before escorting them to the location of the ceremony. The path towards the location was decorated beautifully with nice, big, fresh, white flowers. B.A. had installed a wooden floor onto the beach and the guests were seated on decorated chairs on this wooden floor next to the isle. He had also created a nice looking wooden altar which was also decorated beautifully with the same kind of flowers. The whole scene was looking utterly romantic. The guests were all thrilled and were already chatting happily onto the patio of Face's and Zowie's beach house.

Meanwhile, Face was still as sick as ever. He kept on throwing up and he even threw up what little water he was sipping. He was getting weaker by the minute.

"Come on, Facey. This isn't the time to get sick, buddy. You're getting married today! You can't leave your lovely wife to be waiting."

Hannibal came up to check on his sick friend and still found him hugging the toilet and retching violently.

"This ain't good, Hannibal. He can't even hold down the water. It's not just a bug. He keeps on throwing up and he's getting weaker by the minute. What are we going to do now?"

"The only thing we can do. Get Zowie up here."

The guest had all arrived by now and everyone was waiting on the bride and her father to arrive. Even Father Maghill had arrived as he would be leading the ceremony. Some people began to wonder were the groom was. The poor guys seemed to be getting sicker and sicker.

"Where is Temp hiding?" Father Maghill asked. "He's not backing out now, is he?"

"No. He is upstairs in the bathroom and has been throwing since early this morning. We can't get him to stop."

"Will he make it to his own wedding?"

"Well, we'll need to steal his wife to be for a second. She'll know what to do. Or so I hope."

"I'll say a prayer for him."

While everyone was waiting on the bride to arrive, B.A. and Hannibal decided to check on Face once again. There was still no change in his condition. Meanwhile, Zowie and her father had arrived. They walked down the path towards the beach and upon arriving at the end of the isle they noticed that there was no groom present.

"Where is he? Where the hell is he? He'd better not be running out on her or getting cold feet by now. I'll kill him personally."

Stockwell was seething with anger by now.

"Dad, stop it. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. The guys aren't here, either."

"They probably went after him. I knew it. I knew it. He was and always will be a playboy. He'll never be serious and he'll never settle down. I warned you, didn't I Zowie. He is no good."

"If I may, Mr. Stockwell. I don't think you know Templeton all that well."

"Oh and you do?"

"Yes, I do. I raised the boy. He came to me when he was only 5 years old and abandoned by his family. I'm Father Maghill. I know the real Templeton Peck and I can imagine that he's very nervous today to take this big step in his young life. But I also know he loves your daughter very much. He can't stop talking about her. He was so looking forward to this day, but his friends told me he has been sick since early this morning. They are caring for him now and hoping to get him on his feet again."

"Temp is sick. What's wrong with him, Father?"

"I'm not sure. Hannibal said something about him not being able to stop throwing up."

"Oh, God. Where is he?"

Hannibal and B.A were making their way back down to the beach when they heard Stockwell screaming and shouting in anger.

"He sure couldn't pick a nicer father-in-law. Lovely man."

The guys made their way further towards the beach and nearly bumped into the beautiful bride. Zowie was trying to run back towards the house in her high heels and long, wide wedding dress which wasn't an easy job to pull off. They very nearly bumped into one another. Stockwell was right behind his daughter.

"Hannibal, what's going on?" Zowie asked him.

"Zowie. You're looking very beautiful. I'm sorry to do this to you on your wedding day, but I'm afraid Face is sick. I found him unconscious on the bathroom floor this morning and he has been throwing up non-stop ever since. He is pale and very weak."

"Is he sweating too?"

"Yeah. He is."

"Did you do anything special last night?"

"He was drunk, right. Sure! He drank too much and now he has a hangover. Just great."

"No, Stockwell. We did take him out for dinner and drinks to get him to calm down, but he didn't have too much to drink. He didn't want to get drunk the night before his big day."

"What did he eat?"

"He ate his favorite seafood dish. Why?"

"I think I might have an idea what's going on. B.A, would you mind getting me my bag from the study? Where is he?"

"Murdock is still in the bathroom with him."

Zowie grabbed her long dress and veil and followed Hannibal up the stairs her father hot on her heels. He still didn't want to believe that Face was actually sick. She followed Hannibal into the bedroom and to the bathroom and they already heard Face retching and moaning in utter pain. He was so weak by now. Murdock was practically holding him upright.

"Temp? Baby?"

Zowie knelt beside her retching fiancée. He couldn't even get his head up. He looked greenish and his long blond hair was sweat soaked.

"Z-z-zowie." His voice was hardly above a whisper.

"It's alright, baby. I'm with you now."

She ran her hand through his damp hair. He felt hot to the touch. Stockwell noticed that he wasn't faking at all. The poor guy did look awful.

"Temp, sweetheart. I'm going to have to lay you down so I can examine you. Okay?"

Hannibal, Murdock and Stockwell all supported Face's weakened body and helped him to lay down on the cold tile floor in the bathroom. B.A. had arrived with her bag. Zowie undid the veil from her long hair and sat down beside her fiancée. She grabbed her stethoscope and started to take his vitals. His heart was beating very fast. She took his blood pressure and noticed that it was very low. She also took his temperature and noticed that it was slightly elevated.

"I have to check your abdomen now. I'll try to be careful, but it's going to hurt."

When she did he nearly cried out in pain.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's all over now," she said soothingly. "I know what's wrong with you."

A pair of sea blue eyes looked hopefully up at her.

"You have food poisoning. It must have been the seafood dish you were eating yesterday evening. Did any of you guys had that same dish?"

"No I don't like no fish."

"No. Only Face had the dish."

"Facey did complain that his dish wasn't as good as it used to be. There was also that funny smell."

"What smell, you crazy fool."

"No, he's right. The dish didn't exactly smell well."

"I see. The fish probably wasn't that fresh to start with."

"Now what?"

"I believe we'll have to inform the guests and postpone the wedding."

"No way."

Although he was hardly audible, Face was determined to go through with the ceremony.

"Come on, Face. You can't get married like this. You're a wreck. You can't even support your own weight and you can't throw up on your bride, Father Maghill or the guests."

"There is one thing we can do."

Everyone looked at Zowie.

"I can give you an injection with a very strong antidote to get you back on your feet for a little while."

"Really?" He asked her.

"Yes. But it's gonna hurt. Think you can handle it?"

"Anything to be able to get married," he managed to say.

"Okay. I'll prepare the injection. Dad, could you go downstairs and explain to our guests what's going on. The injection should start to work instantly. But we'll need to freshen him up a bit and get him into his tux."

Stockwell agreed and ran downstairs to inform the guests of the delay. Zowie started to prepare the injection. She asked the guys to roll Face over so he would be on his belly as the injection needed to be applied to the buttock. She warned her boyfriend once again that it would hurt. Murdock offered his best friend his hand and Face squeezed it, but cried out in pain nevertheless.

"It's okay, baby. It's all over now."

The guys rolled him back over and they let him lay down a little bit longer. Face closed his eyes. He slowly felt the spasms diminish and the retching and vomiting stopped all at once. About fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes once again a small smile adorning his still pale features.

"It's over,' he nearly whispered.

"Are you feeling nauseous?"

"No, not at all. It worked."

"Great. Would do you say? Want to get married?"

"I sure do. I can hardly wait."

"Okay, I'll let you get cleaned up and dressed and I'll wait for you downstairs at the end of the isle."

"Sounds good to me. Oh Zowie, you look gorgeous. I love you so much."

"Love you too, handsome."

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. helped their friend up. He was starting to get some energy back by now. He decided to take a quick shower and wash his hair to be at least presentable. He used the hair dryer and all but jumped into his tuxedo. It took him about half an hour to look good.

"Ready, son?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"You'll do just fine. I'm proud of you, you know."

"I know. Thanks, guys. I couldn't have pulled this one off without you."

"We're family, muchacho. That's what we do. Now go and make her happy."

"Go on, sucker. She ain't gonna wait on you forever. B'sides. Stockwell might come up and murder you."

Face hurried downstairs followed by his friends. He sighed deeply as he was still a bit nervous.

"There is the groom now," Stockwell said to the guests. "Let's get this show on the run." "It's about time you showed too," he hissed to Face.

"Can't face my wife looking like crap," he answered his soon to be father-in-law. They could still irritate one another.

Face and Murdock, his best man, hurried down the aisle towards Father Maghill.

"Glad you're doing better, my boy. Now let's get this ceremony started."

Face turned around as his beautiful soon to be wife was walking down the aisle. She was wearing a long, wide and white wedding gown with lace and she had a veil in her long hair. She looked so perfect. Zowie looked at her soon to be husband with his dreamy sea blue eyes, blond hair and wearing a tux with a white jacket and black pair of pants topped off with a crisp white shirt and a light blue waistband and bow tie.

At the altar, Stockwell gave his daughter's hand to Face.

"Take good care of her or I'll hunt you down personally."

"I will, sir. Don't you worry about that! I adore Zowie and I'll do anything I can to keep her happy and safe."

It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of beautiful texts and music. Zowie and Face had only eyes for one another. The guys kept a close eye on Face, but he was still doing well. They had now arrived at the most important part of the ceremony.

"Do you, Templeton Arthur Peck, take the Zowie Anne Stockwell to be your lawful wedded wife?" Father Maghill asked his pupil smiling.

"I do," he said smiling as well.

"Do you, Zowie Anne Stockwell, take the Templeton Arthur Peck to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I do," she said happily.

Murdock now handed them the rings. Face gently took hold of Zowie's hand and slid the wedding band on her finger. She did the same thing. She looked up at him and noticed that beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead and he was also swaying slightly.

"With the power invested in me, I now declare you husband and wife," said Father Maghill. "You may finally kiss your bride, Temp."

Face pulled his wife into his arms.

"I love you, Mrs. Templeton Peck," he whispered.

"I love you too, Mr. Templeton Peck," she teased.

They kissed one another passionately. As soon as his lips left hers, Face's knees buckled and he was out like a light. Luckily for him, Zowie and Murdock managed to grab him before he hit the sand.

"Guess he'll need another one of them shots," B.A. joked.

"Yeah. He might just make it through dinner that way. But he'll probably need another dose to make it to his opening dance."

"Won't have no romantic weddin' night. Guess the sucker ain't gonna do much but sleep."

They all laughed, but were pleased that they knew he would be fine again in a few days.

THE END


End file.
